Method and system for discovery, validation and delivery of power through a universal power center

ABSTRACT

A system and method of discovery, validation and delivery of power to an electronic device through a universal power center is provided. The method comprises providing a power tip for an electronic device with a unique identification and broadcasting the unique identification to a power center. The method further includes verifying the unique identification and connection location of the electronic device, determining power requirements for the connected electronic device based on the unique identification and connection location, and delivering power to the electronic device based on the determined power requirements.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/566,622, which is a divisional application ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/016,195, filed on Jan. 28, 2011,which is a divisional application of U.S. Pat. No. 7,930,043, filed onSep. 15, 2006, the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to a method and system for deliveringpower to different electronic devices and, more particularly, to amethod and system for discovery, validation and delivery of power todifferent electronic devices through a universal power center.

BACKGROUND

Portable electronic devices such as laptop computers, portable digitalassistants (PDAs), etc. are commonly used in business to increase workerproductivity, increase communications capabilities and generallyincrease overall worker efficiency. These same types of devices are alsoused by countless millions of people for personal use such as todownload information from the Internet.

Portable devices are known to be manufactured with different powerrequirements, even though they may be the same type of device. Forexample, laptop computers of different models may have different powerrequirements, depending on the manufacturer's specifications. Even withlaptops that have the same power requirements, it is not uncommon fordifferent tips (adapters) to be required for devices manufactured by thesame or different manufacturers. This all leads to confusion by theconsumer/user and, in many instances, leads the consumer to use theinternal power source, e.g., battery, of the device.

Thus, it is not uncommon to use the internal power source, e.g.,battery, of the device, whether it is for business or personal use.However, batteries have to be recharged and, in many instances, do nothave the required energy to power the device for long periods of times.The powering down of the device unexpectedly, in turn, can lead to lossof information.

Currently, there exists no device that is capable of powering multipledevices of different vendors/models simultaneously, via an externalpower supply. For example, to connect to the power source, the user mustbring a power tip which is designed not only for their portable device,but is also adapted for the particular power source.

However, to meet the needs of the consumer, there exist severaluniversal power supplies on the market. For example, IGO™ Juice™products, manufactured by Mobility Electronics Inc., are a suite ofproducts that include both AC and DC tip capability. The IGO™ Juice™suite of products includes multiple removable tips which support avariety of portable electronic devices. To use the IGO™ Juice™ tips,though, users must manually look-up the device in a table and determinethe proper tip to use with the device. This, of course, relies on humanintervention to determine the power requirements and therefore is proneto mistakes and possible damage to the device. For example, laptopcomputers may have the same tip (physical) configuration, but adifferent power requirement (electrical properties). So, a user may findand use a tip that fits that particular laptop computer; however, thepolarity of the tip may not be correct. In such a case, upon powering upthe laptop computer, the laptop computer may become damaged.

Additionally, using such conventional tips requires the user totransport the power cord and many different tips in order to ensurecompatibility with the power source. This is cumbersome and, it is wellknown that these tips are prone to being lost. Moreover, futurespecifications are not possible without creating new tips to match thosespecifications and therefore these types of devices are severely limitedin their abilities to supply power to new devices. Furthermore, anunnecessarily large amount of tips are required to power devices thatuse the same physical dimensional characteristics but differentelectrical properties.

Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficienciesand limitations described hereinabove.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In a first aspect of the invention, a method of delivering a powersupply to a portable electronic device comprises verifying a powerrequirement for the portable electronic device in response to abroadcast, and supplying the verified power requirement to the portableelectronic device.

In another aspect of the invention, the method comprises providing apower tip with a unique identification and broadcasting the uniqueidentification to a power center. The method further includes verifyingthe unique identification and connection location of the electronicdevice, determining power requirements for the connected electronicdevice based on the unique identification and connection location, anddelivering power to the electronic device based on the determined powerrequirements.

In still another aspect of the invention, system comprises a pluralityof power cords, each having an adapter with a unique identifier andwhich is configured to connect to an electronic device. The systemfurther includes a control module. The control module is configured toreceive broadcast information from the connected electronic device,access an internal or external database which stores power requirementsfor a plurality of electronic devices, verify a connection location andpower requirements of the electronic device, and control a power supplyto the connected electronic device based on the power requirementsaccessed from the internal or external database.

In yet another aspect of the invention, system comprises a server havinga database containing data associated with one or more powerrequirements of a plurality of different types of electronic devices. Atleast a hardware and/or software component verifies a connectionlocation and power requirement of any of the different types ofelectronic devices.

In still another aspect of the invention, a computer program productcomprises a computer usable medium having readable program code embodiedin the medium. The computer program product includes at least onecomponent to verify a power requirement for the portable electronicdevice in response to a broadcast and supply the verified powerrequirement to the portable electronic device.

In still further embodiments, a method for providing a power supply toan electronic device, comprises providing a computer infrastructure. Thecomputer infrastructure is operable to provide any of the method stepsdescribed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative environment for implementing the steps inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 shows an overview of the universal power center in accordancewith embodiments of the invention; and

FIGS. 3a and 3b show respective views of a universal tip in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention is directed to a method and system for delivering power toportable electronic devices and, more particularly, to a method andsystem for discovery, validation and delivery of power to differentportable electronic devices through a universal power center. That is,the invention introduces negotiation of power requirements, verificationof the requirements and supply of those requirements to the portableelectronic devices. The invention can be implemented for any number ofelectronic devices such as, for example, PDAs, cell phones, MP3 players,laptop computers, etc. (generally referred hereinafter as “portableelectronic device”). By using the invention, it is possible to supportany electronic portable device automatically and without the need forprocurement of additional tips. The invention also prevents the userfrom inserting an incorrect tip into the device thus ensuring that asafe power supply is delivered to the portable electronic device.

In embodiments, the invention includes a universal power center that canaccess the Internet (using an internal web server, for example) or isaccessible via an LCD interface. In embodiments, the universal powercenter uses universal-type tips which have a unique identifier capableof identifying or pairing the tip with the make and model of theportable electronic device. This allows the universal power center toidentify a particular make and model of portable device and determineits exact connection point with the universal power center. Thus, theuniversal power center, through different mechanisms, as describedbelow, can verify the make and model of the device and its powerrequirements (and other information) ensuring an adequate and safe powersupply. Therefore, pairing and identification of power supplies andportable devices can be accomplished automatically thus ensuringdelivery of appropriate voltages and other power requirements to theportable electronic device.

In embodiments, the pairing and identification of tips to portableelectronic devices can include:

-   -   (1) Publication and Matched Delivery Method;    -   (2) Validation of Matching Pairs Method; and/or    -   (3) User Input and Identification Method.        The use of embodiments (1) and (2) may require modifications to        the electronic portable device; however, such modifications        would be preferable since it will unequivocally avoid power        surges and provide a completely automated solution for power        delivery. The embodiment (3) would not require modification to        the portable electronic device and can be used for legacy        devices or those devices which do not have the required        circuitry to broadcast their ID or power requirements.

It should be understood by those of skill in the art that anycombination of features of (1), (2) or (3) may be combined, as discussedin an example below. It should further be understood that while thisdisclosure refers to a power center used in a conference room, this sameimplementation can be applied to other applications. For example,implementations are contemplated for a recreational vehicle, airplane,etc. which may supply power to multiple portable devices such aswalkmans, DVD players, LCD screens, etc. In such embodiments, the powerconversion is DC to AC; instead of AC to DC.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative environment 10 for managing the processesin accordance with the invention. To this extent, the environment 10includes a computer infrastructure 12 that can perform the processesdescribed herein. In particular, the computer infrastructure 12 is shownincluding a computing device 14 that comprises a management system(e.g., control module) 30, which makes computing device 14 operable toidentify, discover, validate and delivery power requirements toelectronic devices, e.g., process described herein. The computing device14 is shown connected to a database 112, which may be internal orexternal. The database 112 may include verification information andpower requirements for various types of portable devices, to name a fewbenefits.

The computing device 14 also includes a processor 20, a memory 22A, aninput/output (I/O) interface 24, and a bus 26. Further, the computingdevice 14 is shown in communication with an external I/O device/resource28 and a storage system 22B.

As is known in the art, in general, the processor 20 executes computerprogram code, which is stored in memory 22A and/or storage system 22B.While executing computer program code, the processor 20 can read and/orwrite data, such as the validation information, to/from memory 22A,storage system 22B, and/or I/O interface 24. The bus 26 provides acommunications link between each of the components in the computingdevice 14. The I/O device 28 can comprise any device that enables anindividual to interact with the computing device 14 or any device thatenables the computing device 14 to communicate with one or more othercomputing devices using any type of communications link.

The computing device 14 can comprise any general purpose computingarticle of manufacture capable of executing computer program codeinstalled thereon (e.g., a personal computer, server, handheld device,etc.). However, it is understood that the computing device 14 is onlyrepresentative of various possible equivalent computing devices that mayperform the processes described herein. To this extent, in otherembodiments, the functionality provided by computing device 14 can beimplemented by a computing article of manufacture that includes anycombination of general and/or specific purpose hardware and/or computerprogram code. In each embodiment, the program code and hardware can becreated using standard programming and engineering techniques,respectively.

Similarly, the computer infrastructure 12 is only illustrative ofvarious types of computer infrastructures for implementing theinvention. For example, in one embodiment, the computer infrastructure12 comprises two or more computing devices (e.g., a server cluster) thatcommunicate over any type of communications link, such as a network, ashared memory, or the like, to perform the process described herein.Further, while performing the process described herein, one or morecomputing devices in the computer infrastructure 12 can communicate withone or more other computing devices external to computer infrastructure12 using any type of communications link. In either case, thecommunications link can comprise any combination of various types ofwired and/or wireless links; comprise any combination of one or moretypes of networks (e.g., the Internet, a wide area network, a local areanetwork, a virtual private network, etc.); and/or utilize anycombination of various types of transmission techniques and protocols.As discussed herein, the management system 30 enables computerinfrastructure 12 to manage the identification, discovery, validationand delivery of power requirements to different platforms.

FIG. 2 shows an overview of the power center in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. The power center is generally depicted asreference numeral 100 and, as should be understood by those of skill inthe art, can be implemented by the environment of FIG. 1. The powercenter 100 includes a control module, which is represented by themanagement system shown in FIG. 1.

In embodiments, the power center 100 further includes a plurality ofretractable wires 102 each having a power tip 102 a configured for aparticular electronic portable device. While the example of FIG. 2 showsfour connections to different portable devices, it should be understoodby those of skill in the art that the system and method of the inventionshould not be limited to the exemplary number of connections or types ofportable devices. The power center 100 further includes a power tipcompartment 104, which houses the power tips 102 a.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, which is one of many illustrativeexamples contemplated by the invention, the specific power tips 102 aare configured for different laptop computers such as, for example, theLenovo Thinkpad T40 (Lenovo and Thinkpad are trademarks of Lenovo in theUnited States, other countries, or both.) However, it should berecognized by those of skill in the art that the power tips can be usedfor any number of different portable electronic devices.

In embodiments, the power tips 102 a include a unique tip identifierwhich can be used by the power center 100 to identify a particular makeand model (and connection location) of the portable electronic device.This can be used in the verification process, ensuring that the properpower requirements are delivered to the appropriate portable electronicdevice.

The power center 100 is connected to a network 106 by a network cable108 or a wireless network link 110, as contemplated with reference toFIG. 1. In embodiments, the network 106 includes an internal or externalsupported database 112 which can be accessed using the environmentdescribed with reference to FIG. 1.

The database 112 can be updatable by connecting to a published webservice(s) on the Internet. By doing so, support for new portableelectronic devices that come to the market can be added to the databaseand thus allow the power center 100 of the invention to be compatiblewith such portable electronic devices. In addition, the user will beable to customize the power delivery such as, for example, if a userdoes not have a supported portable electronic device, they can define acustom entry.

In embodiments, the invention provides a business method that performsthe process steps of the invention on a subscription, advertising,and/or fee basis. For example, in embodiments, the database 112 can beaccessed on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis. That is, aservice provider, such as a solution integrator, could offer to providethe determination and verification of the power requirements of aparticular portable device. In this case, the service provider cancreate, maintain, support, etc., a computer infrastructure such asdescribed in FIG. 1, which performs the process steps of the inventionfor one or more customers. In return, the service provider can receivepayment from the customer(s) under a subscription and/or fee agreementand/or the service provider can receive payment from the sale ofadvertising content to one or more third parties.

Still referring to FIG. 2, a plurality of interfaces (e.g., LCDdisplays) 114 may also be associated with the power center 100. The useof the interfaces or LCD displays 114 are discussed in detail below;however, generally, the interfaces or LCD displays 114 allow the user tointerface with the power center 100 in order to, for example, select aportable electronic device to be powered. This may be used for anydevice, including preferably legacy devices.

RF sources 116 are, in embodiments, also contemplated by the invention.As discussed in more detail below, low powered RF sources (e.g., capableof sending a signal to 3 meters) may be associated with each connectionlocation and may be used to identify a location of a particularconnected portable electronic device. The electronic portable device mayalso broadcast its make and model over the RF. In such embodiments,ideally, only one portable electronic device will be within range of aparticular RF source in order to transmit its make and model andlocation to the power center. In this manner, the power center 100 canuse this location information to determine which device is connected towhich power tip and subsequently verify the make, model and powerrequirements of the portable electronic device.

Publication and Matched Delivery Method

Still referring to FIG. 1, in embodiments, the portable electronicdevice is capable of broadcasting its power requirements when a tip 102a is inserted (connected) into the device. This broadcast may beprovided in any conventional manner such as, for example, over a wiredor wireless (e.g., WIFI, RF, etc.) network. In further embodiments, thebroadcast may be performed through the power cable itself. For example,in embodiments, a serial connection may be made to the portableelectronic device, where one of the connections (lines) is dedicated toa communication line, for example. The remaining connections (lines) inthe serial connection may be dedicated to the power supply. In otherembodiments, a simple gate can be used to split the power andcommunication functions, known to those of skill in the art. Thebroadcast may include, for example, (i) make and model; (ii) voltagerequirements; (iii) amperage requirements; and (iv) power center tipidentifier.

In embodiments, as discussed in more detail below, the tip may include aunique identifier associated with the connected portable electronicdevice, which may be used for verification purposes; that is, to verifythat a particular make and model is connected to a certain power tip 102a of the power center 100. More particularly, the identification of thetip will match or pair with a particular make and model of portabledevice. This identification can then be sent to the power center 100which, in turn, uses this information to verify the location and powerrequirements of the connected portable electronic device.

After the requirements and identifier are sent from the connectedportable electronic device to the power center 100, the power center 100can perform one or more of several functions. For example, the powercenter 100 is configured to verify the make and model of the connectedelectronic device prior to sending power thereto. This may beaccomplished by a look-up table in the database, accessing the device,itself, or verification over the network with a service provider. Aftersuch verification, the power center 100 will supply (deliver) thenecessary voltage to the specific portable electronic device. Inembodiments, this may be based, at least partly, on the identifier ofthe tip (location of the connection, type and model, etc.).

In an alternative embodiment, the power center, based at least partly onthe identifier of the tip (make, model and location of the connection)and broadcast of the portable electronic device, will begin supplyingthe necessary voltage to the specific portable electronic device. Once arequirement is set, the portable electronic device may change fromcommunication mode to power mode; although, it is contemplated that theportable device may remain in both modes.

In embodiments, the power center 100 can connect to the internal orexternal supported database 112 to determine and verify the requiredpower source and other requirements needed for the connected portableelectronic device. In embodiments, the power center 100 can also verifythe power requirements with the device, itself, via the communicationlink and/or broadcast capabilities. By doing so, the user can be assuredthat the proper power requirements are supplied to the connectedportable electronic device. In addition, if necessary, the user will beable to customize the power delivery such as, for example, if the powercenter does not have explicit support for the portable electronicdevice.

As an example, a power center tip “A” fits device “X” and device “Y”.Device “X” requires 16 volts and 3.36 amps; whereas, device “Y” requires14 volts and 4 amps. In a first instance, the user of device “X” findsthe appropriate tip (tip “A”) and plugs it into the device. In oneexample, the system of the present invention reads the unique identifierfrom the tip connector to verify a location of the connected device “X”.In embodiments, this verification can also be accomplished via a low RFsignal transmitted between the power station and the device “X”. In thisembodiment, ideally, only device “X” will be within range of the RFsource in order to transmit its make and model and location to the powercenter.

The device “X” can broadcast its power requirements to the power centervia a communication link. The power center 100, once it receives thisinformation can verify such information with the device, itself, or viathe internal or external database. After verification, the power center100 can begin supplying 16 V and 3.36A.

At a later time, the user of laptop “X” disconnects and the user oflaptop “Y” connect to the same tip (tip “A”). This time, laptop “Y”broadcasts its power specifications for the same power centerconnectors' unique identifier and the power center begins delivering 14Vand 4 amps.

It should be understood that the make and model of the portable deviceis not a required element for successful implementation of theembodiment discussed herein; although, this information can be useful asa method to look up bulletins, factory recalls, manufacturer updates forfine tuning adjustments to powering the device or to obtain and verifythe power requirements, itself. In one example, a manufacturer, forexample, might publish, via a web service, a warning that model “XYZ”has a fire hazard risk if a certain voltage at a certain amperage issupplied for more than a certain time period. The power center 100 couldthen query the web service and supply a modified version of voltage andamperage according to the manufacturer's specification.

Validation of Matching Pairs Method

In further embodiments, the power center 100 can verify the make, modeland other requirements of the portable electronic device, based in partor whole, on the unique identifier. Thus, in this embodiment, only aunique identifier of the laptop is necessary.

More particularly, once a tip is inserted into the device, a validationis made to ensure that the tip's associated power specifications meetthe device's power requirements. In this implementation, each tip has astatic power specification and will deliver only that power no matterhow many devices can physically accept the connection.

In this embodiment, for example, the power center 100 includes a look-uptable which is used to match tips and devices according to the powerspecification. Illustratively, there are four tips that are identical insize and shape but each with their own power specification. Tips A, B, Cand D all have the same physical dimensions with tip A carrying a 1 6V3.36 Amp power source and tip B carrying a 14V 4 Amp power source. Eventhough tip B will fit into device “X” (extending the previous example)the power center will not deliver power using that tip because thevalidation process failed to show a proper match.

User Input and Identification Method

In embodiments, the power center includes an interface 114 such as atouch screen LCD display or other display device to present to the user.The interface can then be used to request and/or control powerspecifications for any given device. In this embodiment, the interfacecould be connected to the power center 100 or could be logicallyconnected to the portable electronic device, itself, via a wirelessprotocol such as 802.11 b. The interface 114 may also be connected tothe network and/or the database. In the former scenario, a preferredembodiment would include a touch screen device which the user couldaccess and navigate to select a power requirement for a particulardevice. In the second scenario, the interface would be accessible via aweb interface and 802.11 b interface, and be displayed on the users owndevice.

Alternately, technologies such as Universal Plug and Play are alsocontemplated by the present invention. In this method, the user wouldnavigate a user interface, and identify (i) the cord and tip they areusing and (ii) the device make and model. These two elements will beevaluated by the power center 100 and database and then the requestedpower requirements will be delivered to that power cable tip.

By way of illustration and extending the prior example, the user ofdevice “X” would connect the device to the power center, navigate theinterface (via web browser or touch screen) and select the make andmodel of the device. Then the power center would look up that make andmodel and inform the user which cables would fit the device. The user ofdevice “X” would then find a cable marked appropriately, connect thatcable and then identify that cable to the power center 100, after whichthe power center 100 would begin supplying power through that identifiedpower cord.

In an alternate embodiment, all the power cords could haveinterchangeable tips, i.e., tips which are either included with thepower center or owned by the user. In this embodiment, the interface 114would change accordingly to match the tip rather than the power cord. Ineither embodiment, the connector or the power cord could have specificwiring circuitry in order to specify to the power center exactly thespecific voltage and amperage that must be delivered to the device.

In still further embodiments, the feature of the embodiments can becombined to provide further advantages to the user. For example, theuser may use the interface 114 to verify or change the powerrequirements which were previously broadcast to the power center 100.

Universal Adapter

FIGS. 3a and 3b show a universal tip which may be used in combinationwith the above embodiments. In this embodiment, the universal tip isconfigured to connect to several different devices, across differentphysical requirements. In particular, as shown in FIG. 3a , theuniversal tip 102 is a barrel tip having several spring loaded rings orpartial rings 103 a-103 e. It should be understood that differentconfigurations are also contemplated by the invention such as, forexample, more or less than five rings or partial rings.

In any event, as shown in FIG. 3b , any of the spring loaded rings 103a-103 e are configured to be pushed backwards upon connecting to aportable electronic device, depending on the physical dimensions of theconnection of the portable electronic device. For example, if springloaded ring 103 c was needed for the connection to device “X”, the rings103 a, 103 b and 103 d would automatically be pushed backward uponconnection to the portable electronic device since there would bephysical interference. In this manner, one tip can be used for manydifferent physical connection requirements.

While the invention has been described in terms of embodiments, thoseskilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practicedwith modifications and in the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for a power center comprising:identifying, by the power center, a location at which an electronicdevice is connected to the power center based on a unique identifier ofa power tip; verifying, by the power center, the location at which theelectronic device is connected to the power center based on the uniqueidentifier; establishing, by the power center, a communication link withthe electronic device; receiving, by the power center via thecommunication link, the unique identifier of the power tip, a make andmodel of the electronic device, and power requirements of the electronicdevice; verifying, by the power center using a database of powerrequirements, the power requirements based on the unique identificationof the power tip and the make and model of the electronic device; anddelivering, by the power center, power to the electronic device afterverifying the power requirements.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein theunique identification identifies or pairs the power tip with the makeand model of the electronic device.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe power tip is configured for a particular make and model of theelectronic device.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein: the power centerhas a plurality of connection locations; and the verifying the locationat which the electronic device is connected to the power centercomprises indentifying one of the plurality of connection locations atwhich the electronic device is connected to the power center.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein: the plurality of connection locations areassociated with respective RF sources; and the indentifying comprisesindentifying the one of the plurality of connection locations using theRF source.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying the locationof the electronic device comprises transmitting an RF signal between thepower center and the electronic device.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising looking up at least one of a plurality of bulletins,factory recalls, and manufacturer updates for tuning adjustments todelivering power to the electronic device.
 8. The method of claim 7,wherein the tuning adjustments to delivering power to the electronicdevice comprises the power center querying a web service and supplying amodified version of voltage and amperage to the electronic deviceaccording to the manufacturer.
 9. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising customizing power delivery by a user through an interfacewhen the power center does not have explicit support for the electronicdevice.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the interface is accessiblevia a web interface.